Mr Shah grew up in Jersey where he attended St Michael’s School. He then won a place at Winchester College where he was awarded the Sir Thomas Browne medal in Biology. In 1999 he was awarded the St Mary’s Association entrance scholarship to read medicine at Imperial College in London – he was one of four entrance scholars selected from some 320 entrants to the medical school that year.
During 6 years at medical school, Mr Shah was placed at least in the top 10% of his year group in every consecutive year’s examinations, being awarded a total of 2 merits and 3 distinctions, as well as the BSc course prize and the Martin scholarship for his performances during written and clinical examinations. He further received an official commendation in the Adam Snape Audit Prize for his work on telephone triage in primary care.